The interrelations of socio‐moral reasoning, perceptions of own parenting and attributions of intent with self‐reported delinquency

Abstract

Purpose. This study considers the relationships between moral reasoning, perceptions of parenting, attribution of intent, and self‐reported delinquency among young male offenders and non‐offenders. Methods. A sample of 97 convicted male young offenders and 77 male non‐offenders were assessed using the Sociomoral Reflection Measure‐Short Form, the EMBU (a measure of own perceptions of parenting), a measure of Attribution of Intent, and a self‐reported delinquency checklist. Results. Analyses revealed that offenders had significantly less mature moral reasoning than non‐offenders, and perceived their fathers as more rejecting. They also exhibited a greater hostile attributional bias than non‐offenders. Correlational analyses revealed that perceived parenting was related to attribution of intent in both samples. There were also significant relationships between moral reasoning and attribution of intent among the non‐offenders. Perceived parental rejection and emotional warmth, moral reasoning and attribution of intent were significantly related to levels of self‐reported delinquency among the offenders. For the non‐offenders, self‐reported delinquency was related to attribution of intent. The most significant predictors of self‐report delinquency scores were age, perceived paternal emotional warmth, and incorrect attribution of hostility among offenders and incorrect attribution of hostility for male non‐offenders. Conclusions. The findings suggest that theories of delinquency need to account for the complex interactions between environmental factors (such as parenting) and social‐cognitive processes (such as attribution of intent). Furthermore, by identifying areas in which offenders experience problems, more effective interventions can be developed.